A few thoughts about Films,Games, Television amongst other things.

A Few Thoughts – Gears of War, a First experience nearly 10 years late

So Ok if I’m being honest I played gears of war once before, many years ago but still years after the series became so big. I did not like it, I did not get on with the gameplay and the story although in theory interested me, its executed tale did not.

Now years later with marketing in overdrive for Gears of War 4 the series has managed to get its hooks in. All the media for the new game has caused me to rethink my original opinions of the game and decided to go back and see what the fuss is about one more time.

And I’m so glad I did.

For starters I barely remembered any of the game from the time I played it before, other than it ended with a boss fight on a train, and this allowed me to appreciate the story properly. The way the characters are written so that while knowing so little about them, you care about your rag tag squad that ends up together over the course of a couple of days’ events.

Marcus Fenix, a character I never really saw the appeal in has now become the character that many others love and revere. I don’t really know many of the character’s stories as I have already said but honestly I can say I am looking forward to finding out more about them over the course of the next few games.

The cover shooter gameplay that once irritated me, now made me feel like a true soldier who popped up at the opportune moments to eliminate the enemy horde I was facing.

It should be noted I played the game on its easiest difficulty this time around in order to try and enjoy the story and this was a success, it has also left me wanting the challenge of playing through the campaign on harder difficulties.

My time playing gears of war 1 (the Xbox 1 ultimate edition) left me wanting more and I feel like I may be on the way to becoming a ‘gear head’ (I have no idea if that is what fans call themselves or not).

My copy of Gears 2 is on its way in the post now, and although I know I will now experience a graphical drop in quality as I will be playing a Xbox 360 version not a ‘remaster’, I feel no concern about this as by this point I am invested in the story and characters. As long as the gameplay stays the same, and I have no doubt it will, then I am hoping for a thrill with that game.

In a way I feel lucky to be coming to the series now whilst knowing nothing. Although it would be exciting to return to a beloved franchise, I now get the joy of playing through the first games in quick succession for a full on Gears experience. Similar to Netflix and the binge watching of TV series, and well we all know how well that’s worked.

Overall Gears of War has managed to do what it missed with me years ago and hook me into a series, and I can’t wait to jump back into the story.

What’s your opinions on Gears of War? How is the new game compared to the original 3? Have I missed the party by coming along so late? Let me know in the comments below.

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